Ray McGovern: My Take

Prosecution of Ray McGovern is Dropped

Statement from Partnership for Civil Justice Fund

JusticeOnline.org

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The charges against Ray McGovern have been dropped and the
government has decided not to proceed with its prosecution. Mr. McGovern, age
71, was subjected to an outrageous and abusive arrest, which left him bruised
and bleeding. He had been standing silently with his back turned to Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton when she delivered her address on Feb. 15 at George
Washington University, in which she insisted other governments around the world
not stifle free expression.

McGovern was an Army officer and CIA analyst for almost 30 years.
He was among the first to expose the corruption of intelligence to “justify”
the ongoing wars. He was wearing a Veterans for Peace T-shirt at the time of
his arrest.

“The Constitution lives. I am hugely grateful for the
widespread condemnation of the brutal treatment I encountered two weeks ago for
exercising my First Amendment rights. It strikes me as an empowering example of
what we can do together in standing for Justice and against the violence of
war. If Defense Secretary Robert Gates is spared arrest when he acknowledges
the folly of committing U.S. troops to a land war in Asia, we too should be
spared arrest and brutality at the hands of those for whom the Constitution is
merely a piece of paper,” stated Mr. McGovern.

“This outrageous arrest laid bare the hypocrisy of Clinton’s
presentation about free speech and free expression. While lecturing other
governments, she never even paused while Mr. McGovern was brutally hauled out
right in front of her and arrested while peacefully and silently expressing
dissent,” stated Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, one of Mr. McGovern’s attorneys at
the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, which is representing Mr. McGovern.

Since Ray McGovern’s arrest, there has been a huge
outpouring of support from people of conscience all over the country and
widespread coverage in the alternative media in defense of free speech rights.

Mr. McGovern and his attorneys at the Partnership for Civil
Justice Fund are evaluating his next legal options.